Index attachment for telephones.



No. 801,281. PATENTED OCT. 10, 1905..

P. B FARMER. INDEX ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONES.

APPLICATION FILED APR 28, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATBNTED OCT. 10, 1905. I

F. E. TARMER. INDEX ATTACHMENT FOR TBLEPHONBS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENYD/P I A Ham a co, Punwumoomvuzns. WASMNDTON. o. c.

UNITE STATES FRED E. FARMER, OF ALLIANCE, OHIO INDEX ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONESi.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1905.

Application filed April 28,1906. Serial No. 257,909.

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRED E. FARMER, of Alliance, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Index Attachments for Telephones; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in index attachments for telephones, the object being to provide a cheap and simple device designed to be detachably secured to any of the well-known transmitters in common use, whereby the names and number of the several departments of factory or plant or persons or firms with whom the subscriber frequently has to communicate are rendered readily accessible, thus dispensing largely with the directory commonly issued by the telephone companies.

WVith this end in view my invention consists in the parts and combination of parts, as will be more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a desk-telephone, showing my improvement applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the standard, showing the manner of securing the roller-holder in place. Fig. 3 is a view of the holder detached. Fig. 4 is an end view of the latter. Fig. 5 is a View of the index-carrier. Fig. 6 is an end View of the latter. Fig. 7 is a View in side elevation of a modified form of bracket applied to' a telephone. Fig. 8 is a view in rear elevation of same, and Fig. 9 is a view of the bracket before the latter has been shaped.

1 represents the standard of an ordinary portable telephone-transmitter 2, and 3 the knuckle-joint by which the transmitter is adjustably secured to the stand. This knucklejoint comprises the upper bifurcated end 4 of the standard 1, the depending tongue 5 of the transmitter 2, the screw 6, and thumb-nut 7. One form of my improved holder is constructed to be applied to this knuckle-joint, which is present in both the portable and fixed telephones, and it comprises two U-shaped metal brackets 8 and 9, secured together, as shown in Fig. 3, the smaller bracket 8 opening downwardly, while the larger one is open at its top.

The lower bracket 8 is of suflicient width to embrace the bifurcated end 4 of the standard 1, and each side member of said bracket 8 is provided near its lower end with an open slot to permit the bracket to be seated on the screw 6. By this arrangement it will be seen that by removing the nut 7 the holder can be placed in position and secured by replacing the nut and when once in place will be adjustably held by its frictional contact with the nut 7.

The index carrier or roller comprises a shaft 10, provided with two fixed disks 11 and at one end with a thumb-wheel 12. Each disk is provided with ,a peripheral flange 13 and with a second circular flange 14, secured to the inner face of each disk parallel with the outer flange. The flanges 13 14 on the two disks project inwardly toward each other, and the two pairs of flanges thus located and arranged form a guideway for the index-card 15. The outer flanges 13 are slotted, as at 16, for the insertion and removal of the indexcard 15. Hence it will be seen that by introducing one end of the card in the slots 16 and pushing on the card the latter will be guided by the parallel flanges 13 and 14: and assume a cylindrical shape, as shown in Fig. 2.

The shaft 10 is provided between the thumbwheel 12 and the adjacent disk with a reduced section 17 of less diameter than the main portion of the shaft, and the outer end of said shaft may, if desired, be similarly constructed. The bracket 9 for supporting this shaft is slotted at its upper ends, as at 19, the bases or bottoms of the slots being slightly larger than the open ends of the latter. The open ends of these slots are of a size to receive the reduced sections 17 of the shaft, while the enlargements at the bottoms of the slots receive the rounded sections of the shaft. Hence by simply expanding the bracket, so as to cause the slots to aline with the reduced sections of the shaft, the latter can be entered in the slots, and then by releasing the bracket the enlargement at the bases of the slots will engage the rounded section of the shaft, thus locking the shaft in place in the bracket. It should be understood that the shaft may be locked to the bracket at one or both ends.

The index-card may be made of paper or other suitable material, on which is printed or written the telephonenumbers and names of the several departments of the works or plantor persons or firms with whom the subscriber has to frequently communicate.

With a roller located immediately in rear of the transmitter in such a position where the printed or written matter thereon can be readily seen and read by the user While using the telephone nearly one-half the surface area of the roller is visible from a point immediately in front of the transmitter 2. Hence but a slight movement of the index-roller is necessary to expose its entire surface to the view of the user of the telephone.

In Figs. 7, 8, and 9 instead of employing a double U-shaped bracket, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, I employ a single U-shaped bracket 9, provided with an integral member 8, hav ing an opening 8" therein for the passage of the shank of the mouthpiece of the transmitter, thus locking the bracket in place. The section of member 8 is bent, as shown, near its juncture with the U-shaped bracket 9, so as to carry the latter back over the transmitter, as shown in Fig. 7.

To apply this attachment, the mouth of the transmitter is removed, the bracket placed in position, and the mouthpiece replaced.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I 1. An index attachment for telephones comprising a holder composed of a U-shaped section for supporting the index-carrying shaft, and a section having means for its attachment to a telephone-transmitter, a shaft mounted in said U-shaped section, and means on said shaft for carrying a detachable index-card.

2. In an index attachment for telephones, the combination with a bracket and means for attaching it to a telephone-transmitter, of a shaft removably mounted in said bracket, and carrying flanged disks, and an index-card secured between the flanges of said disks.

3. The combination with a support comprising two U-shaped connected brackets, one having means for securing it to a support, of a shaft mounted in the other bracket and means on said shaft for detachably carrying an index-card.

t. An index attachment for telephones, comprising a holder composed of two U-shaped brackets, one bracket adapted to be secured to a telephone-transmitter, a shaft mounted in the other bracket, flanged disks on said shaft and a removable index-card inserted between said flanges.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRED E. FARMER. Witnesses:

W. V. HARTZELL, A. SCHNEIDER. 

